Automobile.



No. 880,202. PATENTED FEB. 25, 1908.

A. H. DINGMAN.

AUTOMOBILE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 13. 1907.

7 U v 1 WITNESSES: L;- [lVVb/VTOR UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALLEN H. DlNGMAN, OF DE HAVEN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF 'TO JOHN SAUERS, OF DE HAVEN, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMOBILE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 25, 1908.

Application filed Jane 13' 1907. Serial No. 378.842.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it. known that I, ALLEN H. DINGMAN,

' citizen of the United'States of America, re-

siding at De Haven, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have inventet'l'certainnew and useful Improvements in Automobiles, of which the-following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to automobiles and similar motor driven vehicles, and the invention relates more particularly to a novel steering or guiding device.

The invention has for its object to provide a steering device that will greatly facilitate the guiding of avehicle with the least possible exertion by the operator or 'driver, this being accomplished by a novel construction insuring perfect control of the forward or steering wheels of a vehicle.

My invention aims to dispense with the ordinary pivoted crank connection of the for- Ward wheels of a vehicle, and to provide the Wheels with novel hub bearings, thus insuring less breakage and greater safety. To this end, the hubswhich I employ in connection.

with vehicle wheels are of a ball bearing construction and are arranged whereby they can be perfectly controlled, the controlling mech-. anism being in two cooperating sets, and located upon the axle of a vehicle in such a position that should one set break, the other set can be easilv used.

The detailed construction entering into my.

invention will be presently described and then specifically pointed out in the appended claims. 4

Referring'to the drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a view of the two forward steering wheels of an automobile, illustrating one of said wheels in section and the other of said wheels partly in elevation. Fig. 2 is a plan of the connecting axle of said wheels, and Fig. 3 is an elevation of a portion of one of the wheels.

To put my invention into practice, I construct the hub 1 of each of the wheels 2 in the form of a metallic housing having its outer which are fixed the spokes 5 of the Wheels by nuts and bolts 6.

Secured to the inner face of the housin 1 isa spindle 7, said spindle having a circu ar head 8 abutting against the inner face of the housing 1.- The head Sis held in engagementwith the housing by dowel "pins 9' carried by the inner face'of the housing 1 and engaging apertures provided therefor in the head 8 and by a screw bolt 10, the latter passing through the housing 1 into the spindle end, being provided with a jam nut 11 and with an ornamental cap 12. The inner end of the spindle 7 is threaded, as at 14, to receive nuts 15, the innermost nut, together with the head 8, being formed with races for anti-friction balls 16, said balls being held in their annular races by a swivel joint support- 17 having diametricallyopposedapertured lugs 18 for receiving the apertured ends of connecting rods 19. The connecting rods 19 are-screwed into clevises 20 pivotally mounted, as at 21, upon the ends of a lever 22,said

lever being located within a transverse slot 23 formed in the axle 45; The lever 22 is fixed upon a vertically disposed pin 24 arranged in the axle 45, an actuating lever 25 being keyed to the pin 24, as at 2-6. v

The swivel joint support 17 is provided with two vertically alining hearing pins 27, surrounded by bearing sleeves 28. Interposed between the pins 27 in sleeves 28 are anti-friction balls 29 and 30, the latter being held by nuts 40 mounted upon the/ends of the pins 27. 'Secured to the sleeves 28 by ,clamps' tl are the arms 12 of the ends of the axle 45. I

It will be observed from the novel construc'tion of the wheel that'byremoving the cap 12, nut 11 and screw boltl't), the housing 1 and its appurtenant parts can be easily and quickly detached from the end of the axle,

thereby permitting inspection of the bearings and such repairs as may bejnecessary.

In operation the wheels revolve on the horizontal or main anti-friction balls 16, and are moved laterally on the anti-friction balls 30, to produce a change in the course of the vehicle. This lateral movement of the wheels is produced at will, bythe operator or driver, and is conveyedto the swivel supports 17 by virtue of the connecting rods 19, pin 24 and lever 25. The lever 25 can-be connected to a regular steering wheel gear or to a common vertical hand lever, "(not shown) located near "road clearance, an can be more easily 0 erot ertheseat in convenient reach of.

of the vehicle.

To protect the bearin s within the housing 1 from dust, stones and oreign matter,;I emloy semi-spherical hoods 43 fittin ifurcated ends of the axle 45 and suitably secured'to said axle, these hoods permitting the operator free lateral movement of the wheels without exposing the bearings.

, By the novel construction of the bearings, es ecially inpositioning the vertical bearings within the center of the wheel and directly 1n alinement with thecenter of tread, it will be observed that it will require the least possible lateral movement to accomplish any iven results, and correspondingly accomplis the samewith the least possible effort. Itwill alsobe noted that'the location of the vertical bearin s (commonly known as steering knuck es) within the centerof the wheel, almost wholly, if not entirely, relieves the strain shock and other stresses, which are ordinarily experienced in steering devices. I It is also apparent that in usin two sets of con: necting rods that should either set become loose, broken or detached, the other set would provide full and com the vehicle. The location 0 the connecting rods afl'ord greater rotection, gives agreater ated' and positively controlled, than i wise located.= The connecting rods of the front axle can be suitably inclosed -as further pins carried on the inner protection from dust and injury.

Such variations in the structural details of myinv'ention, as are permissible by the appended claims, can beeresorted to, without eparting from'thespirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim and desire to'- secure by Letters Patent, is: I

1. "In a vehicle steering gear, a wheel hub embodying a-metallic housmg closed at the outer end and open atlthe inner end, dowel end, a spindleinclosedjby said hub and having a head on its inner end having openings swive -joint sup over the 'means connected to the inner ends of 'and an axle bifurcated to form carried by engage saldopemngs, and a screw passed lete control of face of said'closed to receive said dowel ins, a screw passed throu h said closed end into said spindle, a

ort mounted on said spindle and provide with diametric ally-opposed apertured lugs, connecting rods pivotallyattached at their outer ends to said' lugsa,

connecting-rods for operating the same, two

oppositely disposed and vertically alin'ed bearing-pins carried. by said swivel-support having bearing-sleeves surrounding the same,

outer ends, the ,said arms-being secured to said bearing-sleeves, and said axle supportarms at its v ing the inner ends of the connecting rods and I the o crating means therefor.-. u p '2. n a-vehicle steering gear, the combinaform arms,. of wheel hubs each comprising metallic housings having an. integrallytion with an axle bifurcated at its ends to closed, outer end and open inner end, a

spindle having an annular head on its inner end provided with openings, dowel pins the closed end of said housing to through the closed end of the housing whereby the spindle issu'pportc'd centrally of said housing, a swivel-joint support mounted on" saidspindle and provide on" opposite sides with apertured lugs, opposite bearing PIIIS carried by said swivel-support having bearing-sleeves surrounding the same, -bal1bearings for said bearing-sleeves, the

y-disposed arms of said axle being connected to-said I ALLEN DINGMAN.

Witnesses:

Max H. SnoLovrrz, J. H. MoGRAw." 

